The Myth Of Black Confederate Soldiers

Whenever someone finds out I'm reading about the Civil War (off blog, I mean) they feel obliged to inform me that black people fought for the Confederacy. From what I can tell, this is basically false. It's true, in the early stages of the War, some regiments made up of free blacks tried to form, but they were promptly refused.

The Native Guard in Louisiana mustered, but basically ended up serving on the side of the Union. And then at the very end of the War, Lee, in desperate straits, consented to raising a black regiment. But they never fought either. Moreover, there are scattered reports of black slaves doing things like fighting in defense of their master, but certainly nothing approaching the USCT.

If I have this wrong, please correct me.

More interesting to me is why the myth holds so much sway. I think it's an extension of the Lost Cause theology--if there were black regiments fighting for the Confederacy, the War couldn't have been about slavery.

In the momentous
step, which our State has taken of dissolving its connection with the
government of which we so long formed a part, it is but just that we
should declare the prominent reasons which have induced our course.

Our position is
thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery - the greatest
material interest of the world. Its labor supplies the product, which
constitutes by far the largest and most important portions of commerce of
the earth.

These products are peculiar to the climate verging on the
tropical regions, and by an imperious law of nature, none but the black
race can bear exposure to the tropical sun. These products have become
necessities of the world, and a blow at slavery is a blow at commerce and
civilization.

That blow has been long aimed at the institution, and was at
the point of reaching its consummation. There was no choice left us but
submission to the mandates of abolition, or a dissolution of the Union,
whose principles had been subverted to work out our ruin.

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